Russia and Ukraine: talk by James Brooke

For the first time since 1945, one European country – Russia – has sent troops into another European country – UKRAINE – and seized territory.

With Moscow’s relations with the West at their lowest level since the end of the Cold War, journalist JAMES BROOKE will discuss the impact of Vladimir Putin’s moves: NATO refocusing from Afghanistan to Russia; Europe cutting dependence on Russian gas and oil; Russia’s neighbors worry if they are next after Ukraine; Russia’s economy sinks from high growth to recession; Putin’s popularity soars.

James Brooke first reported from Russia in 1991, for The New York Times. More recently, he was the Bloomberg and then Voice of America bureau chief for Russia. In July, after eight years in Moscow, he moved to Phnom Penh. To accompany the talk, we’ll screen recent short documentaries about the crisis in Ukraine.